Floyd M. Theard Jr. (September 5, 1944 – April 12, 1985) was a

professional basketball In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larg ...

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

and collegiate coach who played one season in the

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(ABA) with the

Denver Rockets Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

during the 1969–70 season. He attended

Kentucky State University Kentucky State University (KSU and KYSU) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Frankfort, Kentucky. Founded in 1886 as the State Normal School for Colored Persons ...

, where he later returned to coach.

Basketball career

After graduating from St. Elizabeth High School in,

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Theard attended Kentucky State University, where he played basketball and graduated in 1967. Theard represented the USA, playing in two

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under coaches

John Kundla John Albert Kundla (July 3, 1916 – July 23, 2017) was an American college and professional basketball coach. He was the first head coach for the Minneapolis Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and its predecessors, the Basketbal ...

, John Bennington and

John McLendon John B. McLendon Jr. (April 5, 1915 – October 8, 1999) was an American basketball coach who is recognized as the first African American basketball coach at a predominantly white university and the first African American head coach in any professi ...

, helping the team to gold medals in both occasions. Floyd then played one professional season for the Denver Rockets, averaging 3.8 points 2.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 25 games. After beginning his coaching career at the high school level in Colorado, Thread became an assistant coach under Coach

Lute Olson Robert Luther "Lute" Olson (September 22, 1934 – August 27, 2020) was an American basketball coach, who was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was the head co ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

, before accepting the head coaching position at

Kentucky State Kentucky State University (KSU and KYSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Frankfort, Kentucky. Founded in 1886 as the State Normal School for Colored Persons, and becoming a land-grant college in 1890, KSU is the second ...

, his alma mater, in 1978. Theard compiled a 36–22 record in two seasons at Kentucky State, with his teams finishing with 18–11 records in both seasons. In 1980, Theard became the head basketball coach at the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...

. During his five seasons, the Denver Pioneers compiled a 107–38 record, which included a home–court winning streak of 79 consecutive games. In April 1985, while serving as the head basketball coach at Denver, Theard suffered a fatal heart attack at age 40.

Honors

Floyd Theard was elected to the Kentucky State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987. The Floyd M. Theard Jr. Memorial Award is given annually to the "University of Denver men's basketball player who best displays the qualities of leadership, scholarship and sportsmanship as demonstrated by Coach Theard during his lifetime." Kentucky State University sponsors a Floyd M. Theard Jr. Memorial Basketball Scholarship. The University of Denver hosts an annual Floyd M. Theard Jr. Memorial Golf Tournament, which raises money for scholarships. Alumni gather at the tournament. Speaking of Coach Thread, one former player shared memories. "Coach Theard was a man who believed in helping his student-athletes aspire to grow as human-beings," said Denver basketball alum Dr. Herb Parris. "I remember him saying so often 'If you are late for practice, you will be late for life.' That is a saying I will never forget, from an unforgettable person."

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Theard, Floyd 1944 births 1985 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Denver Pioneers men's basketball coaches Denver Rockets players High school basketball coaches in the United States Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball coaches Kentucky State Thorobreds basketball coaches Kentucky State Thorobreds basketball players Point guards United States men's national basketball team players Universiade medalists in basketball FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States Medalists at the 1965 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 1967 Summer Universiade Basketball players from Chicago